Saturday, November 29, 2014

Brussels Sprouts That Everyone Will Eat

Hello dear readers! It has been quite some time since I have posted any recipes or food ideas here on this blog, but I do have one for you now using a vegetable that a lot of people completely misunderstand or undervalue, which is a shame since these veggies are packed with high vitamins and other nutrients.

When I was little, I wasn't really picky about the vegetables I ate, except for in the case of beets and canned spinach. Some veggies, such as Brussels sprouts, were never really an item that made it onto the dinner table since my parents didn't have a huge love for them. Eventually, I grew up to love eating them and am always on Pinterest finding new ways to eat these (and other) delicious veggies.

For Friendsgiving Day, (Thanksgiving for all our friend group hosted just before or after Thanksgiving day) I decided to make a veggie side with Brussels sprouts. At first, I wanted only to make a balsamic-maple glaze, but decided on a more "southern" style instead - utilizing the double-b's of fat: butter (affectionately known as, 'buddah') and bacon.

Here are step-by-step instructions with images to show you how I accomplished this side that most of my friends scarfed down:

After rinsing and straining nearly 2 lbs of B. Sprouts, I added them into a small pot and flash boiled them until the were almost fully cooked. I left them somewhat undercooked though to prevent them from getting mushy from overcooking. These were boiled for about two minutes.

During earlier prep work, adding 1 lb of bacon to a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet to bake in the oven on 350 degrees F. will create a crispy bacon that can later be chopped up and used in the dish later.

Out of all the steps, this is probably the most satisfying. It smells completely fantastic as you add half a stick of butter to a hot skillet and add chopped up onion to caramelizing leeks. This will made your stomach grumble with hunger after smelling this amazing olfactory pleasure.

Not that the buttery leeks is enough, I created this cheesy buttery sauce using the remaining half stick of butter with half a package of cream cheese. What's important here is that using a whisk will prevent the cheese from getting chunky from the heat, and will emulsify the butter into the creamed cheese.

Next, mix the leeks in to make sure that any residue of butter is absorbed by the Brussels sprouts. Then, afterwards, add the remaining ingredients and mix together well. It makes me hungry just to think about the bacon and leek scents combining with the browned butter. Nom nom nom.

Finally, add your butter-cheese sauce and coat everything evenly. Add your sprouts to an oven-friendly casserole dish, or else line a pan with foil (for easier cleanup) and add in the sprouts. If using foil, be sure to keep the sides opposite from each other long so that you can use it to cover the sprouts when you are baking them. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes.

As I said, my friends, even a very picky eater, complimented me on this dish and asked me for the recipe. Yay!

I hope you enjoy this post. Please let me know if you have any other requests!